Yesterday I received an email from NYC Midnight about the upcoming Micro Flash Fiction challenge. Instantly, my mind tugged at the memory of the initial Micro Fiction challenge. While I enjoy writing Flash Fiction, I was a little skeptical about limiting a story to 250 words. Eventually, I pulled a prompt from the list and I wound up with a comedy. Fortunately, I wound up writing Apartment’s Tree. It was a campy little comedy and that gave me a taste to write more comedies. It also proved how foolish I was to dismiss this type of writing...

Despite the hectic nature of the last couple weeks, I’m thankfully getting myself back on track with these artwork roundup posts. Hopefully, I’ll be able to replicate this with the rest of my writing. Out of all the images I published to my DeviantArt galleries, I am excited about the watcher and patron exclusive of Ramas Caldwell and a pair of digital paintings that were born from liquifying some lines...

Fresh off finishing Guilty Mind, I shifted my focus to a ghost story. However, this time, instead of exploring a shade with a note, I wanted to explore Lucas’s past. Similar to Darren Gilbert, I created Lucas to satisfy a writing prompt. Despite the time since Tattooed Home, I still remember wondering how I could craft the story while focusing on getting a tattoo. Thankfully, my mind satisfied this conundrum by connecting several concepts, merging them into an alchemist that can create homes for ghosts in his body...

As I continue pushing my skills with characters, I’ve continued to explore Ramas Caldwell. Despite only appearing in my Micro Fiction (over at Ko-Fi), I’ve become enamored with the character. During those brief moments of exploration, I’ve witnessed this character remove his helmet multiple times. Each time Ramas removes his helm, I try to stress how scarred his eyes are. While I haven’t revealed how Ramas can interact with the world despite his disability, it’s something I detailed out a long time ago. Since I want to offer his origin tale to everyone, keep your eyes peeled for his tale...

When I pulled the prompts for this month’s Micro Fiction, I looked at the Science Fiction one and instantly yearned to pair it with my smugglers aboard the Scythe. While I knew the characters who would feature in this micro-narrative, I couldn’t come up with a story about this interesting crew. Since I had other tales with pressing deadlines, I put this story aside and dove into the other projects...

While Cecile pushes her small team to satisfy Jarvis’s quota of Plasma Cannons. Their supplies are running low, so Jarvis dispatches small teams to raid the forest for food and other consumables. The first few trips into the woods produce limited supplies and frayed nerves. Burdened with the knowledge that the next trip requires more from the surrounding landscape, Jarvis dispatches his best people for this expedition...

Shortly before I pulled the results for August’s genre poll, I stumbled upon a YouTube video where an attorney commented on the law central to My Cousin Vinny. As I watched this mysterious attorney grade the law from this comedy, I saw some of the best parts of the movie. However, the highlights weren’t enough. With a renewed sense of purpose, I explored the depths of the massive video sharing site and watched as much of the movie that was available. When the last clip finished playing, I grinned and knew that I’d found the inspiration for my comedy...

The artwork for this past week, which is unfortunately a few days late, is a fun collection, with a few notable works I’m eager to talk about, Liquified Flower, Line Art - Ramas Caldwell - 0001, and Helmet. The first is another example of how I use the liquify tool, though I certainly had fun with the compositions coloring. while the other two highlight a significant jump in my ability to draw my characters. However, if you want to see those examples, you’ll either have to become a watcher over at DeviantArt, or you will need to support me over at Patreon...

When is the last time you tried skipping stones? For me, it’s been years since I attempted to bounce a rock off a body of water. While I have a bunch of fantastic memories of searching for the smoothest stones, I also vividly remember standing on the edge of various bodies of water, trying to perfect my toss. Despite these recollections, I cannot recall my best throw, or the number of times it bounced off the smooth surface...

When Wayne arrived in the Western Region, Marcus and Talia pulled their farmhand aside to explain what he was walking into. After they finished discussing their plans for him, Vincent opened the door and announced Roxanne and her cronies. Before Marcus could refuse their entry, the trio push past Vincent and demand an explanation from their interim leader...

When I sat down to outline Ramas’s latest escapade, I stared at the screen, trying to force the brief narrative into the constraints. Several false steps later, I took a break, rubbing the frustration out of my face. Then I jumped into my collection of unsorted files and thumbed through them. After sorting a few of the files, I stumbled onto a document about a Space Marine Chapter I created using the 4th edition Chapter Trait rules. However, my mind quickly latched onto their universal special rule ‘And they shall know no fear’...

As another week comes to a close, I’m excited to bring my artwork to the readers of my blog. This week’s collection of artwork is highlighted by Twisted Fibers 07, Shrooms, and Magic Flare. These pieces showcase each of the three principal ways that I’ve been creating my art, the interesting technique, using the liquify tool, and doodling...

With Understanding and Fishing Hole finished, I focused on the last story of July for my patrons, a Political Satire. After writing several stories in this genre, I realized the benefit of blending something potentially divisive with another genre, like Science Fiction. That simple alteration to my focus on Political Satire, brought new joy to the genre. Fortunately, when it came time to write Fading Liberties and Consequences, I placed them on the same world as one of my long-running series of flash fiction, Fortunes...

Despite the turbulence of my July, I dedicated myself to finish crafting the exclusive pieces of flash fiction for my patrons. With Understanding finished, I stepped away from the turmoil in my life and focused on my next creative outlet, a Historical Fiction. Thankfully, when I pulled the results for July, I knew the character who would propel this tale forward. Samuel and his majestic dragon Pearl would serve as the focal point of this blending of Historical Fiction and Fantasy...

As July draws to a close, I’ve dedicated myself to my writing in order to escape from the pressures and heartaches of the real world. While most of my stories this month refused to flow from my fingertips, this storyline practically rushed through my fingers. When I selected this prompt, the basics of the story crystalized in my mind. Thankfully, Micro Fiction’s constraint of two hundred and fifty words helped me craft this micro-escape from reality...